Archive for July, 2009
July 22nd, 2009 | 
Author: I’ve noticed that a lot of people use different terms when thinking about holiday/vacation homes. I grew up in Texas – and so for me, I say “vacation home”.. so am way off with most people around here (grin).
Here’s the various terms and their typical meaning:
Gîte. According to Wikipedia, This is a French holiday home that is available for rent; usually fully-furnished and equipped for self-catering.
It goes on to say that “Technically speaking to be called a gîte the owner must live close by in order to provide help, assistance and a warm welcome to guests. Gîtes are generally old farmworkers’ cottages or converted outbuildings and barns within the proximity of the owners’ principal residence. This type of holiday accommodation is sometimes regarded as ‘basic’ in terms of facilities, however most gîtes are generally very well kept“.
Although this technical definition was true ten years ago, I would say that this is such a common term now that it has been broadened to include any type of holiday rental/accommodation.
Villa. Wiktionary defines a Villa as “A house, often larger and more expensive than average, in the countryside or on the coast, often used as a retreat.” Which I suppose was the original idea behind the term – but it is also now a common word used to describe holiday rental properties.
In fact wikipedia appends its more Romano definition with “Today many vacation rental properties are referred to as villas. This is especially true in France and Italy, and in the French influenced islands of the Caribbean“
I think that most people have certain expectations when thinking about the term villa – it is near the sea or has a pool, it is more modern than a cottage or a gite, and limited to warmer climates such as France or Spain (you rarely get villas in Wales).
Cottage. If a Villa is near the Sea, then a Cottage must be in the country.
Wikipedia: “In modern usage, a cottage is a dwelling, typically in a rural, or semi-rural location (although there are cottage-style dwellings in cities).“
Holiday cottages are smaller vacation homes that are more rural and more suitable to a small family or at most two couples.
So – different definitions which describe different types of vacation properties available. Our holiday home fits all three – Villa (pool, France, more modern), Cottage (rural, smaller) and Gîte (France, Self-catering, etc). So we’re happy with whichever you feel more comfortable with.
If you’re looking for family activities, here’s a great one – the Aquarium du Périgord Noir. It is located in Le Bugue which is about an hour drive from our holiday home (a great stopping place on your way to visit Sarlat). Please don’t confuse it with the terrible aquarium closer to Bergerac.. that one is nothing like the one in Le Bugue.
It’s very well organised and is said to be Europe’s largest privately owned Aquariums. It has massive tanks that really allow you to see some of the large species of fish that live in freshwater rivers such as The Dordogne. Kids can feed the carp by hand, there’s a cafe and apparently they are opening (or have opened) an Iguana Park – although this wasn’t there when we visited a couple of years back.
Here’s a few photos:
Check it out – if you are going to Sarlat, then this is on the way. You could also combine it with a canoeing as there are several place in Le Bugue that offer canoe trips.
Just reading about the severe storms that occurred on Monday in the Dordogne area.
Apparently a number of houses were struck by lightning and a many homes were left without electricity. Everything was fine with our house but I bet our current guests had
Did you know that the Dordogne Region is France’s largest inland tourist area? More than 2 million people visit every year.
It doesn’t feel that crowded when you visit in peak times though. Sure the motorway is busy on the way down, and the main towns like Sarlat are heaving – but there are so many quiet places too.
For me, this is the attraction. You can visit an area that is steeped in history, has natural beauty around every turn, and boasts excellent food and wine. Yet you can escape from it all and never experience the crowds at all.
No high-rise hotel blocks. No condominium resort compounds. They haven’t converted every vineyard into a golf course. The accommodation of choice in this region is a privately owned holiday home or sometimes a gîte.
Everyone has their own space. You can choose to be in the crowds, but most of us prefer to keep to the local areas where we are staying. Enjoy the sleepy restaurants in the villages near by. Taste the wine from local vineyards. Walk in the countryside and not feel like you are walking down Oxford Street for all the crowds.
The holiday homes in the Dordogne help make this beautiful region so much more enjoyable. They say two million people every year? sure doesn’t feel like it.
We’ve had our little holiday home in the Dordogne since the summer of 2000. We’ve stayed there during every month of the year now and so as the summer peak season is about to kick in, I was trying to decide time of year do I consider think is best.
Spring. Warm. Sometimes rainy (although unlike in Britain – it can be both on the same day). It is quiet and you can start to see the crops growing in the fields – the yellow rapeseed fields are usually in full bloom a good month before they appear in the UK. I’d say April and early May are great times to visit this region.. the weather is typically warm but not too hot, fewer crowds and far less traffic on the roads.
Summer. Hot. This is peak season. When it rains, it is not uncommon to have thunder. When it is hot.. it is really hot. The grapes are growing on the vines, the village fetes are in full swing, and there are plenty of tourist attractions around to see (medieval festivals, walking tours of bastides, canoeing on the rivers). This is the season for tourists and sun-worshippers – yet you can still escape from it all and stay by the pool in your gîte / holiday home.
Autumn. Damp. The early Autumn can be beautiful and one of my favourite seasons in the Dordogne region. Around our house are Monbazillac vineyards. Monbazillac is a dessert wine and they let the grapes over-ripen (practically rot) on the vines to get them as sweet as possible. They don’t harvest until October normally and so the views of Autumnal coloured vineyards still heavy with grapes is quite spectacular. Also there is a sweet aroma.. especially when they start to harvest that is amazing too. Sunny days are wonderful.. crisp with strong shadows. When it rains, it pours. This is certainly an under-appreciated time of year for tourism here.
Winter. Crisp. It can get cold here in the winter.. and snow sometimes too. But that’s what log fires are for. This is a nice time to explore the villages and countryside that can almost feel deserted. It is a great time of year for shopping in the large cities – Bordeaux, Perigueux, Toulouse – especially around Christmas time.
My favourites? Well Summer is a wonderful time of year and is hard to beat.. but my favourite time to visit is probably September to early October. It is still warm. The vineyards look amazing. Hard to beat.